Hand Training an Older Bird

User Question
Hi Lisa. I have read through your entire site and find it really helpful. Unfortunately, I should have read this years ago. I am especially interested in the section on hand training my old budgie (pitpit).

You see I inherited him and prior to me being his owner, he did not have much contact except for food and water. He is very shy and rarely has come out of his cage. He is about 6 years old now and now that I know the proper technique, I am just starting to try to hand train him (following your instructions) to perch on my finger and then come out of his cage.

Do you think it will work since he is so used to being only in his cage?. I have just started at step 1 a few days ago, but it seems to be very difficult. As soon as I get near with the perch, he retracts (and is definatley afraid) and he goes to the far corner. Unfortunatley he doesn't want to have anything to do with me or my perch.

Do you think it is too late to try to train Pitpit to come out of his cage? Your advice would be most appreciated.

Lisa's Answer
You can definitely start even with an older bird and have great success. Hand training isn't magic or mystical. It is simply about building a bond of trust between you and an intelligent, living creature. Just like you can adopt a toddler and form bonds of love, you can adopt an older keet and form those same tight bonds. Just work on it daily, and be patient.

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